Method and system for frequency-shift based chip-to-chip communications

ABSTRACT

Aspects of a method and system for frequency-shift based chip-to-chip communications may include receiving and/or generating modulation control information and demodulation control information within a chip comprising one or more receivers and one or more transmitters. One or more modulation frequencies may be adjusted and utilized to generate transmit signals by the one or more transmitters based on the received modulation control information, wherein the one or more modulation frequencies may be distinct. One or more demodulation frequencies may be adjusted and utilized to generate intermediate frequency signals by the one or more receivers based on the received demodulation control information wherein the one or more demodulation frequencies may be distinct. The modulation control information and the demodulation control information may be received via a communication device comprising said chip.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to signal processing for communication systems. More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to a method and system for frequency-shift based chip-to-chip communications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electronic communication has become prolific over the last decade. While electronic communication was initially limited to the desktop, recent trends have been to make communications, media content and the Internet available anytime, anywhere and, increasingly, on any device. Already now, it is quite common to find mobile devices such as cellular phones or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) that incorporate a large range of communication technologies and associated software. For example, fully-featured web-browsers, email clients, MP3 players, instant messenger software, and Voice-over-IP may all be found on some recent devices. The various communications may occur at different transmission and/or reception bands.

Given the varying demands of users, service providers and device manufacturers have to support media content comprising voice, video and/or data compliant with many different communication standards, specifications and/or data formats.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method and/or system for sharing modulation information between multiple chips, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2A is a circuit diagram illustrating an exemplary on-chip repeater architecture, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2B is a circuit diagram illustrating an exemplary lower complexity on-chip repeater architecture, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary frequency adjustment process, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a method and system for sharing information modulation information between multiple chips. Aspects of a method and system for sharing information modulation information between multiple chips may comprise receiving and/or generating modulation control information and demodulation control information at a chip comprising one or more receivers and one or more transmitters. One or more modulation frequencies may be adjusted and utilized to generate transmit signals by the one or more transmitters based on the received modulation control information, wherein the one or more modulation frequencies may be distinct. One or more demodulation frequencies may be adjusted and utilized to generate intermediate frequency signals by the one or more receivers based on the received demodulation control information, wherein the one or more modulation frequencies may be distinct.

The modulation control information and the demodulation control information may be received via a communication device comprising said chip. The modulation control information and demodulation control information may be received on a link operating in a frequency band different from said transmit frequencies and said receive frequencies. The frequency band of the link may be Bluetooth or a IEEE 802.11 Wireless Link. The one or more of the modulation frequencies and the one or more demodulation frequencies may be generated in pairs and each pair may be generated from a single local oscillator frequency. The transmit frequencies and the receive frequencies may be in the 60 GHz band. A plurality of the intermediate frequency signals received via a plurality of antennas may be combined. Intermediate frequency signals may be generated for the one or more transmitters in accordance with multiple antenna transmission protocols. Radio frequency interference may be reduced during the adjustment of the receive frequencies and the adjustment of the transmit frequencies.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an access point 112 b, a router 130, the Internet 132, a web server 134, a communication device 102 comprising chips 104, 106, 108, 110, and 114, wireless connections 120 c, 120 d, 120 e, 120 f, 120 g, and 120 h.

The communication device 102 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/or code that may be enabled to receive, process, and transmit radio signals. The chips 104, 106, 108, 110, and 114 in communication device 102 may be substantially similar.

The chips 104, 106, 108, 110, and 114 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/or code that may be enabled to provide wireless communication. In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, the chips 104, 106, 108, 110, and 114 may be arranged and/or configured so as to form a mesh network. Each chip may be enabled to communicate with one or more other chips and/or other components of the communication device 102. In some instances, the communication device may be communicating with other network components, for example chip 114 may be communicatively coupled to access point 112 b via the wireless connection 120 h. A plurality of exemplary wireless connections between the chips 104, 106, 108, 110, and 114 may be illustrated by the wireless connections 120 c, 120 d, 120 e, 120 f, 120 g, and 120 h.

The access point 112 b may comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/or code that may be enabled to transmit and receive radio frequency signals for communication of information comprising voice, video and/or data, for example, via the chip 114. The access point 112 b may also be enabled to communicate via a wired network, for example, with the router 130. The communication device 102 and/or the chips 104, 106, 108, 110, and 114 and the access point 112 b may be compliant with one or more communication standard, for example, Wireless LAN (WLAN, IEEE 802.11) or Bluetooth.

The router 130 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/or code that may be enabled to route communication between, for example, a wide area network (WAN) and/or a LAN or WLAN. The access point 112 b and the Internet 132 may be coupled to the router 130. In this regard, the router 132 may be enabled to route traffic between the Internet and devices communicatively coupled to a WLAN via the access point 112 b.

The Internet 132 may comprise various devices comprising suitable logic, circuitry and/or code that may enable interconnection and exchange of data between a plurality of communication devices communicatively coupled thereto. The web server 134 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/or code that may be communicatively coupled to the Internet 132 and may be enabled to provide web-based services to various communication devices that may be communicatively coupled to it. For example, the web server 134 may host one or more web sites that may be accessible via the communication devices.

In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, it may be desirable that the chips 104, 106, 108, 110, and 114 may maintain a plurality of communication session concurrently. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a plurality of wireless connections 120 c, 120 d, 120 e, 120 f, 120 g, and 120 h may be active an any given time instant. The chip 106 may receive data via wireless connection 120 e and it may be desirable to forward this data to chip 108, via wireless connection 120 f. In these instances, better performance and more optimal operation may be achievable if the wireless connection 120 e and the wireless connection 120 f may not be operated on the same transmission frequency, because it may reduce interference. This may be achieved by using repeater logic, circuitry and/or code in the chips.

FIG. 2A is a circuit diagram illustrating an exemplary on-chip repeater architecture 200, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2A, there is shown an oscillator control 244, a plurality of antennas comprising antennas 201, 202, 204, 206, and 208; and a plurality of amplifiers 210 and 212. FIG. 2A also illustrates a plurality of multipliers comprising multipliers 214, 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226 and 228; a plurality of low-pass filters (LPFs) comprising LPF 230, 232, 234, and 236; and a plurality of filters comprising filters 246 and 244. The exemplary repeater architecture 200 may further comprise an intermediate frequency processing block 242 and a plurality of adders comprising adders 238 and 240 may be illustrated. There is also shown the oscillator signals f1(I), f1(Q), f2(I), f2(Q), f3(I), f3(Q), f4(I), and f4(Q), which may communicatively couple the oscillator control 244 to the plurality of multipliers 214 through 228. One or more of the exemplary components illustrated in FIG. 2A may be utilized without departing from the scope of various embodiments of the invention.

The oscillator control 244 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/or code that may be enabled to receive and transmit radio signals, for example from a control point 102, and may generate a plurality of oscillator frequencies that may be enabled to control the transmit modulation frequencies and receive demodulation frequencies at the multipliers 214, 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226, and 228, for example. In many instances, the oscillator control may be integrated within a chip comprising a repeater structure. The repeater 200 may, for example, be substantially similar to the chip 104. In this instance, the antenna 201 may receive signals from the chip 114 via the wireless connection 120 c. The one or more antennas 202 to 204 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/or code that may be enabled to receive a data signal. In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, the antennas 202 through 204 may, for example, receive the wireless connection 120 c from chip 114. In some instances, there may a plurality of antennas, as illustrated in FIG. 2A. In another embodiment of the invention, there may be one receive antenna, for example, antenna 202.

The signal received at antennas 202 through 204 via, for example, wireless connection 120 c, may be communicatively coupled to amplifiers 210 through 212. The amplifiers 210 and 212 may be similar, and may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and or code that may be enabled to generate a low-noise amplified signal at the output that may be proportional to the input signal. The output signal of amplifier 210 may be communicatively coupled to the multipliers 214 and the multiplier 216. The multiplier 214 may demodulate the received signal to an intermediate frequency by multiplying it with an in-phase carrier frequency f1(I). Hence, the multiplier 214 may generate a signal comprising the in-phase component of the received signal. Similarly, the multiplier 216 may generate a signal comprising the quadrature component of the received signal, by multiplying the received signal with a quadrature carrier frequency f1(Q).

The low-pass filters 230 and 232 may be enabled to remove or significantly attenuate some undesirable frequencies. An intermediate in-phase frequency component from the output of the filter 230 may be communicatively coupled to the intermediate frequency processing block 242. Similarly, an intermediate quadrature frequency component from the output of the filter 232 may be communicatively coupled to the intermediate frequency processing block 242. Similarly, an intermediate in-phase frequency component and an intermediate quadrature frequency component may be generated from a signal received at antenna 204, via the multipliers 218 and 220, and the LPFs 234 and 236. In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, the transmit signals at the transmit antennas 206 through 208 may comply with multiple antenna transmission protocols, for example, beamforming, MIMO, or transmit diversity.

The intermediate frequency processing block 242 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/or code that may be enabled to process a plurality of intermediate frequency signals. For example, the intermediate frequency processing block 242 may suitably process the received signals for transmission via the one or more antennas 206 through 208. The intermediate frequency processing block 242 may generate an in-phase and a quadrature signal component for modulation and transmission via one or more transmit antennas. For example, a first in-phase signal component may be coupled from the intermediate frequency processing block 242 to the multiplier 222. The multiplier 222 may generate an in-phase RF signal component by multiplication of the signal from the intermediate frequency processing block 242 and an in-phase carrier frequency f3(I). Similarly, a quadrature RF signal component may be generated in multiplier 224 by multiplication of a signal from the intermediate frequency processing block 242 and a quadrature RF signal component f3(Q). The in-phase RF signal and the quadrature RF signal may be added in the adder 238, to form a composite RF signal.

The filters, for example filter 246 may be enabled to attenuate undesirable frequencies, and the signal at the output of the filter 246 may be transmitted via antenna 206. Similarly, other intermediate frequency in-phase and quadrature signal components may be generated at the intermediate frequency processing block 242, and multiplied with in-phase and quadrature carrier frequencies at, for example, the multipliers 226 and 228 to generate a composite RF signal at the output of the adder 240 for transmission via antenna 208 and filter 244. In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, the adders 238 and 240 may perform a subtraction or an addition, and may weigh the signal components to be processed. In some instances, it may be desirable to adjust the phases of f1(I), f1(Q), f2(I), f2(Q), f3(I), f3(Q), f4(I), and f4(Q) to allow desirable signal selection.

By choosing desirable in-phase and quadrature modulation frequencies, for example f3(I) and f3(Q), the transmission frequency may be chosen differently from the receiver frequencies, thereby reducing interference. In accordance with network topology and/or one or more performance metrics, the oscillator control 244 may generate a desirable set of demodulation frequencies and modulation frequencies. In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, the above architecture may be used to receive one or more RF signals and re-transmit them at one or more RF frequencies, which may be different from the receive frequencies.

In some instances, multiple antennas may permit multiple antenna processing of received signals, for example for beamforming or diversity reception and/or transmission. In other instances, each receive antenna and/or transmit antenna may receive/transmit a different frequency, so that multiple parallel single antenna repeater stations may be generated.

For example by the oscillator control 244, desirable frequencies may be selected for receiving and transmitting frequencies. In some instances, the frequency band utilized for sending and receiving control information to the oscillator control 244 may be a different frequency band from the data transmission, for example Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN.

FIG. 2B is a circuit diagram illustrating an exemplary lower complexity on-chip repeater architecture 200 a, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2B, there is shown an oscillator control 244 a, a plurality of antennas comprising antennas 201 a, 202 a, 204 a, 206 a, and 208 a; and a plurality of amplifiers comprising amplifiers 210 a and 212 a. FIG. 2B also illustrates a plurality of multipliers comprising multipliers 214 a, 216 a, 218 a, 220 a, 222 a, 224 a, 226 a and 228 a, a plurality of low-pass filters (LPFs) comprising LPFs 230 a, 232 a, 234 a, and 236; and a plurality of filters comprising filters 246 a and 244 a. The exemplary lower complexity repeater architecture may further comprise an intermediate frequency processing block 242; and a plurality of adders comprising adders 238 and 240. There is also shown the oscillator signals f1(I), f1(Q), f2(I), and f2(Q), which may communicatively couple the oscillator control 244 a to the plurality of multipliers 214 a through 228 a. The components in FIG. 2B may be similar to their corresponding components illustrated in FIG. 2A, except for the oscillator control 244 a. For example, the LPF 230 a may be substantially similar to the LPF 230. One or more of the exemplary components illustrated in FIG. 2B may be utilized without departing from the scope of various embodiments of the invention.

The operation of the repeater architecture in FIG. 2B may be substantially similar to the architecture illustrated in FIG. 2A, although the oscillator 244 a may generate a reduced number of carrier frequencies. In some instances, it may be desirable to operate the modulator and/or the demodulator with a same local oscillator frequency, in particular in instances where multiple parallel repeater stages may be operated. For example, a received signal at antenna 202 a may be on a carrier frequency of 62 GHz and the modulation/demodulation frequencies f1(I) and f1(Q) may be 60 GHz. Hence, the intermediate frequency may be at 2 GHz, for example. After modulation and suitable filtering in the multipliers 222 a, 224 a, the adder 238 a and the filter 246 a, the transmitted signal may be at a frequency of 60 GHz−2 GHz=58 GHz. This may be achieved by suitable selection of the modulation band generated in the adder 238 a and the multipliers 222 a and 224 a. In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, the adders 238 a and 240 a may perform a subtraction or an addition, and may weigh the signal components to be processed. In some instances, it may be desirable to adjust the phases of f1(I), f1(Q), f2(I), and f2(Q) to allow desirable signal selection. The local oscillator frequencies, for example f1(I)/f1(Q), and f2(1)/f2(Q), may be different. In some instances, the local oscillator frequencies may be controlled by control information received at the repeater, for example via an out-of-band link. In some instances, as depicted in FIG. 2B, each repeater stage may generate a modulation and demodulation frequency pair, from a local oscillator signal. For example, demodulation in the multipliers 214 a and 216 a may be generated from the local oscillator signal f1(I)/f1(Q), and the associated modulation in multipliers 222 a and 224 a may be generated using a similar local oscillator signal f1(I)/f1(Q).

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary frequency adjustment steps, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The exemplary steps may begin with start step 302. In step 304, the oscillator control 244 may adjust the modulation and demodulation frequencies of the repeater architecture 200 via the in-phase and quadrature carrier frequencies. In some instances, the frequency selection may be based on some performance measure, in other instances, the frequency selection may be made in a centralized manner directly at, for example, the control point 102. By setting the demodulation and modulation frequencies to desirable values, the transmission and/or reception frequencies may be set to desirable values. In most instances, the transmission frequencies may be different from the reception frequencies. In step 308, after the setup, in the preceding steps, the receiving and transmitting may be performed in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a method and system for frequency-shift based chip-to-chip communications may comprise receiving and/or generating modulation control information and demodulation control information at a chip, for example chip 104, comprising one or more receivers and one or more transmitters, as illustrated in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B. One or more modulation frequencies, for example f3(I), f3(Q), f4(I), and f4(Q), may be adjusted and utilized to generate transmit signals by the one or more transmitters based on the received modulation control information, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, wherein the one or more modulation frequencies may be distinct. One or more demodulation frequencies, for example f1(I), f1(Q), f2(I), and f2(Q), may be adjusted and utilized to generate intermediate frequency signals by the one or more receivers based on the received demodulation control information, as described for FIG. 2A, wherein the one or more modulation frequencies may be distinct.

The modulation control information and the demodulation control information may be received via a communication device, for example communication device 102. The modulation control information and demodulation control information may be received on a link operating in a frequency band different from said transmit frequencies and said receive frequencies, which may be, for example, wireless links 120 c and 120 e. The frequency band of the link 120 h, for example, may be Bluetooth, ZigBee or a IEEE 802.11 Wireless Link. The one or more of the modulation frequencies and the one or more demodulation frequencies may be generated in pairs and each pair may be generated from a single local oscillator frequency. For example, f1(I) may be substantially similar to f3(I). The transmit frequencies and the receive frequencies may be in the 60 GHz band. A plurality of the intermediate frequency signals received via a plurality of antennas, for example antennas 202 through 204, may be combined, for example in the intermediate frequency processing block 242. Intermediate frequency signals may be generated, for example, in the intermediate frequency processing block 242, for the one or more transmitters in accordance with multiple antenna transmission protocols. This may include MIMO, beamforming and/or transmission diversity protocols. Radio frequency interference may be reduced during the adjustment of the receive frequencies and the adjustment of the transmit frequencies.

Another embodiment of the invention may provide a machine-readable storage, having stored thereon, a computer program having at least one code section executable by a machine, thereby causing the machine to perform the steps as described herein for a method and system for frequency-shift based chip-to-chip communications.

Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software may be a general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A method for processing communication signals, the method comprising: in a communication device comprising a plurality of chips: receiving control information within a first one of said plurality of chips comprising one or more receivers and one or more transmitters; adjusting a frequency of a local oscillator signal in said first chip based on said received control information; demodulating, utilizing said local oscillator signal, a first RF signal having a first center frequency to generate one or more first intermediate frequency signals, said first RF signal having been received wirelessly from a second chip of said communication device; modulating, utilizing said local oscillator signal, said one or more first intermediate frequency signals to generate a second RF signal centered at a second frequency; and transmitting said second RF signal.
 2. The method according to claim 1, comprising receiving said control information from a device external to said communication device.
 3. The method according to claim 1, comprising receiving said control information on a link operating in a frequency band different from said first frequency and said second frequency.
 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said frequency band of said link is a Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN link.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first frequency and second frequency are in the 60 GHz band.
 6. The method according to claim 1, comprising combining said one or more first intermediate frequency signals with one or more second intermediate frequency signals, wherein said one or more first intermediate frequency signals are generated from one or more signals received via a first antenna of said first chip and said one or more second intermediate frequency signals are generated from one or more signals received via a second antenna of said first chip.
 7. The method according to claim 1, comprising generating intermediate frequency signals for one or more transmitters of said first chip in accordance with multiple antenna transmission protocols.
 8. The method according to claim 1, comprising reducing radio frequency interference during said adjustment of said local oscillator frequency.
 9. A system for processing communication signals, the system comprising: one or more circuits in a communication device, said one or more circuits comprising a plurality of chips, and said one or more circuits being operable to: receive control information within a first one of said plurality of chips comprising one or more receivers and one or more transmitters; adjust a frequency of a local oscillator signal in said first chip based on said received control information; demodulate, utilizing said local oscillator signal, a first RF signal having a first center frequency to generate one or more intermediate frequency signals, said first RF signal having been received wirelessly from a second chip of said communication device; modulate, utilizing said local oscillator signal, said one or more intermediate frequency signals to generate a second RF signal centered at a second frequency; and transmit said second RF signal.
 10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said one or more circuits receive said control information from a device external to said communication device.
 11. The system according to claim 9, wherein said one or more circuits receive said control information on a link operating in a frequency band different from said first frequency and said second frequency.
 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said frequency band of said link is a Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN link.
 13. The system according to claim 9, wherein said first frequency and second frequency are in the 60 GHz band.
 14. The system according to claim 9, wherein said one or more circuits combine said one or more first intermediate frequency signals with one or more second intermediate frequency signals, wherein said first one or more intermediate frequency signals are generated from one or more signals received via a first antenna of said first chip and said one or more second intermediate frequency signals are generated from one or more signals received via a second antenna of said first chip.
 15. The system according to claim 9, wherein said one or more circuits generate intermediate frequency signals for one or more transmitters of said first chip in accordance with multiple antenna transmission protocols.
 16. The system according to claim 9, wherein said one or more circuits reduce radio frequency interference during said adjustment of said local oscillator frequency. 